Valery Zaluzhny, the former military Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine, has warned that World War III has already begun. He cited the active involvement of Russia’s allies as a clear indication of this. “I absolutely believe that in 2024 we can believe that the Third World War has begun,” Zaluzhny said during a speech at the Ukrainska Pravda’s UP100 award ceremony.

Zaluzhny, who is currently serving as the Ukrainian envoy to the UK, stated, “Soldiers from North Korea are standing in front of Ukraine. Let’s be honest. Already in Ukraine, the Iranian ‘Shahedis’ are killing civilians absolutely openly, without any shame.”

Zaluzhny further said, “It is still possible to stop it here, on the territory of Ukraine. But for some reason, our partners do not want to understand this. It is obvious that Ukraine already has too many enemies.”

Russia, Ukraine Deploy Advanced Weaponry

His comments come amid reports Moscow has deployed over 10,000 North Korean soldiers to the Kursk region and used Iranian drones and other advanced weaponry against Ukraine.

“Ukraine will survive with technology, but it is not clear whether it can win this battle alone,” Zaluzhny stated.

Russia Strikes Dnipro With Hypersonic Ballistic Missile

Zaluzhny’s speech coincided with a major escalation in the war, as Russia launched a hypersonic ballistic missile at Dnipro on Thursday. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned it as a significant intensification of the conflict. “This is a clear and severe escalation in the scale and brutality of this war,” Zelenskyy said.